- 21 Indian Athletes have been named in the 2019 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.
- Kohli toppled Bollywood actor Salman Khan from last year to become the number 1 on the Celebrity 100 list.
- 7 of the 21 athletes named in the list are non-cricketers and Badminton star PV Sindhu (56) stars first among them.
- Three Indian Women Cricket star also features in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.
Twenty-one Indian Athletes have been named in the 2019 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, with Indian skipper Virat Kohli topping the list. The India cricket team captain toppled Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar to end at the top.
The 2018 edition of the Celebrity 100 list was headlined by Salman Khan. In 2019, the batsman earned ₹ 253 Crore from playing as well as from his endorsements with various brands like Uber, MRF, Audi, Manyavar and Tissot.
Forbes Magazine has been compiling and publishing the annual list since 1999. The purpose is to list India’s 100 highest-paid celebrities between October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019.
MS Dhoni (9), Rohit Sharma (11), Rishabh Pant (30), Hardik Pandya (31), Jasprit Bumrah (33), KL Rahul (34), Shikhar Dhawan (35), Ravinder Jadeja (51) and Kuldeep Yadav (61) are the other cricketers on Forbes annual list. Sachin Tendulkar (9) is the only retired player to feature on the list.
Three Indian Women Cricket star also features in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. Mithali Raj (88), Smriti Mandhana (90) and Harmanpreet Kaur (91) make their debuts in the Forbes India list.
Rise of Non-Cricket Athletes
7 of the 21 athletes named in the list are non-cricketers and Badminton star PV Sindhu (56) stars first among them. Her major earnings come from the sport and her endorsements with Bank of Baroda and Li-Nang. However, Sindhu has faced a major drop in earnings in the last two years. Forbes India estimates that her earnings fell from Rs 57.25 Crore in 2017 to Rs 21.05 Crore in 2019.
The face of Indian Football and captain of the national team Sunil Chhetri (85) returns to the Celebrity 100 after missing out in 2018. His estimated earning has increased from Rs 2.3 Crore in 2017 to Rs 6.1 Crore in 2019. He most recently signed a three-year deal with Puma.
Olympic Bronze medal shuttler Saina Nehwal (81), Boxer Mary Kom (87), Wrestler Bajrang Punia (94) Golfer Anirban Lahiri (95) and Tennis star Rohan Bopanna (98) also make it to the list. Here is the complete list of athletes to feature in the Forbes India Celebrity 100.
Athletes in the Forbes India Celebrity 100
| Rank | Name | Sport | Earnings 2019 (In Rs crore) | Sources of Earning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | Men Cricket | 252.72 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 5 | MS Dhoni | Men Cricket | 135.93 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 9 | Sachin Tendulkar | Men Cricket | 76.96 | Endorsements |
| 11 | Rohit Sharma | Men Cricket | 54.29 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 30 | Rishabh Pant | Men Cricket | 29.19 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 31 | Hardik Pandya | Men Cricket | 24.87 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 33 | Jasprit Bumrah | Men Cricket | 23.25 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 34 | KL Rahul | Men Cricket | 23.19 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 35 | Shikhar Dhawan | Men Cricket | 19.11 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 51 | Ravindra Jadeja | Men Cricket | 18.41 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 61 | Kuldeep Yadav | Men Cricket | 15.27 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 63 | PV Sindhu | Women Badminton | 21.05 | Badminton, Endorsements |
| 81 | Saina Nehwal | Women Badminton | 3.00 | Badminton, Endorsements |
| 85 | Sunil Chhetri | Men Football | 6.10 | Football, Endorsements |
| 87 | Mary Kom | Women Boxer | 3.90 | Badminton, Endorsements |
| 88 | Mithali Raj | Women Cricketer | 2.63 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 90 | Smriti Mandhana | Women Cricketer | 2.85 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 91 | Harmanpreet Kaur | Women Cricketer | 2.12 | Cricket, Endorsements |
| 95 | Anirban Lahiri | Men Golfer | 5.30 | Golf, Endorsements |
| 94 | Bajrang Punia | Men Wrestler | 2.40 | Wrestling, Endorsements |
